Danish School Has Installed The World’s Largest Solar Facade – When the building is made of electricity generation material, from day one, we change the perception of what a building is. It’s no longer simply a structure to feed material, food, energy for hot, cold and light, etc. In soon time, a building without solar power will be the aberration. Check out the image and the different colored solar panels.

A quote for Wall Street from a CEO – SunPower expects that, “The intensity of competition will continue.” SunPower is taking a beating as the price difference between its market leading efficiency and the uber-economical spot market of 16% polysilicon gets wider. The competition is rough for the 16% manufacturers as well – Yingli might get delisted, and SolarWorld is cutting back employees to move up market. I recently asked a stock analyst to look at a solar cell equipment manufacturer – he said, ‘tight margins, lowering product values, global competition, rising Chinese products, etc.’ Sounds like every story on solar panel manufacturers.

305 million gallons of water a day from sunlight – Water is one of the life bloods of the species. Food, water and energy – then we get abstractions like housing and clothing, etc. Desalination will lead to a large amount of brine that has to disposed of – but the way humans work, someone is going to figure out how to make money from it.

Silver Paste increases cell efficiency 0.1% – Pastes help seal the panels and conduct electricity. This is where the silver for solar panels is spent. A neat comment from the article (and the reason I linked to it) – ‘17% higher local contact efficiency’ – meaning the paste spreads out in a manner that better connects the electricity conductors in the panel. baby steps – 0.1% at a time.

Texan utility El Paso Electric files to increase fees associated with solar – I specifically linked to this attempt by a utility to stifle customers because of one quote by the Austin Senator, “Frankly, the energy bill uncertainty alone will significantly stifle solar; what new customer would install solar panels today if they can’t predict what their future energy savings will be, if any?” Politicians know well that creating uncertainty is one way to get people to delay spending money – and some people will simply throw their hands up and never come back, tired of ‘The Man’ winning. This is how politics works – manipulation.

National Geographic on the 650MW project in India – 1. The announcer has a radio announcer voice and a soundtrack, but that’s TV for you. 2. When you’re building a 2,500 acre structure – logistics, logistics, logistics. 3. Around minute 20 the flooding during construction starts. 4. 3MW/day is construction goal with an 8 month construction window – a really amazing volume of solar power to install. 5. Solar powered waterless cleaning robots (see main image) from Ecoppia around minute 29. 6. Partial solar eclipse around minute 27.

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